COLLEGE PARK, MD — The last time Iowa played against Maryland at the Xfinity Center, it was in front of a sold-out crowd who followed All-American guard Caitlin Clark’s every dribble.
Two years later, there were fewer fans and less cameras in the building. Clark has graduated and then-Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder retired. But the result? That was the same: Iowa won.
The Hawkeyes captured their seventh straight victory Thursday night, defeating the Terrapins 85-78 in overtime in their latest signature win. Maryland is the fourth ranked opponent the Hawkeyes have beaten this season. Iowa, in its second season under coach Jan Jensen, is 8-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 1996 and ranked in the top 10 for the first time since Clark left for the WNBA.
And winning at Maryland is no easy task. Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, the Terps entered the matchup with an 85.9 winning percentage against conference opponents at home.
Jensen hopes the victory helps her team realize their talent level. If they can perform consistently, she believes their potential is limitless. The Hawkeyes face another ranked opponent Sunday, when they host No. 11 Ohio State (2 p.m. ET, Peacock).
“This team — we need to start understanding that we can be pretty good,” Jensen said. “So, we don’t need to be timid. We don’t need to be tentative. … I think sometimes we’re double checking.”
While the Hawkeyes got some timely baskets from behind the arc from Chit-Chat Wright and Taylor McCabe — who combined to shoot 7-of-14 from deep range — it was post play that powered Iowa over Maryland. And it’s been the Hawkeye’s prowess in the paint that has been largely responsible for its success all season.
One of the players excelling down low is a well-known commodity. Hannah Stuelke exploded onto the scene as a sophomore as Iowa made it to a second straight national title game in 2024. That season, Stuelke popped off for 47 points in a home win over Penn State. Now a senior, she’s averaging 14.1 points along with a career-highs in rebounds (8.6) and assists (2.9) per game.
Stuelke’s partner in the paint has been a bit of a revelation.
As a freshman last season, Ava Heiden played less than 10 minutes a game and never started. The 6-foot-4 Oregon native has since blossomed into Iowa’s top scorer, averaging 16.3 points a game. Heiden is shooting 62.6% from the field, which ranks sixth nationally. She’s also 13th nationally in effective field goal percentage and 24th in PER.
Instead of taking credit for Iowa’s success this season, Heiden deflects to her teammates.
“We have great passing guards this year. The way that Chit-Chat and McCabe and those guys can get it into us, it’s very difficult for a guard to have those skills, and those guys have it down to perfection,” Heiden told USA Today Sports. “And so, for Hannah and I, when those passes are that good, it’s very easy for us to work off of that and get some buckets for our team.”
As a team, Iowa ranks fifth nationally in assists per game with 20.9 and sixth in assisted shot rate with 69.4%. Many of those dimes wind up in the hands of Stuelke and Heiden, finishing under the rim with ease.
Heiden is among the most improved players in the country and a catalyst for Iowa regaining its position as a legitimate contender. According to Her Hoop Stats, Heiden has increased her scoring average by 11.2 points from last season, which is third-most among all Big Ten players who played in at least 19 games last year.
The sophomore says she spent much of the past year getting in extra work with Iowa assistant coach Randi Henderson, who was a captain for the Hawkeyes in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“She was pretty raw. She was kind of frustrated. You know, she wanted to play and didn’t really understand the process until finally she was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to go get in the gym.’ And then she started to understand what it took,” Jensen said of Heiden’s freshman season. “She embraced the challenge. And we still have a lot of growth for her to do, and that’s what’s so exciting.’
Heiden hasn’t just become a reliable starting forward for the Hawkeyes. She’s transformed into someone Iowa can count on in important games.
The Maryland win was a prime example as Heiden spun around a defender to connect on a layup to give the Hawkeyes a three-point cushion with about two minutes left in overtime. Moments later, she confidently knocked down a pair of free throws.
“For her to hit that free throw, that was a lot of growth,” Jensen said of Heiden’s clutch basket. “A little bit more, ‘I got this.’ That’s what I want Ava to turn into. … Like, ‘I want the ball, I can score.’”
Across Iowa’s four Quad 1 wins — victories over Baylor, Nebraska, Michigan State and Maryland — Heiden is averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 64% from the floor. Put more simply, she’s playing well in big moments, which is often a trait of a great player.
It’s performing in those crucial matchups, seeing her stats jump and watching wins pile up for Iowa that has given Heiden self-assurance.
“Confidence is earned through the reps and seeing it go down,’ Heiden said. ‘I’m not a person where, if I hear, ‘Hey, be confident,’ — that’s not very helpful for me. Seeing that data, that’s very helpful, and that’s allowed me to build my confidence.”
With Heiden taking a leap, Wright transferring in from Georgia Tech and other players making improvements or adjusting to new roles, Iowa looks like a Big Ten title contender and a team that can make a deep run in March.
Jensen just needs her players to believe in their ability to take it to the next level.
“I don’t see it like everybody sees it. I just see the Big Ten as one heck of a conference with great coaches. And so, you got to find a way,” Jensen said. “They’re pretty gutty and resilient. If we ever lean into that — ‘We’re pretty good’ — I think then that’s where the magic can happen.”
This post appeared first on USA TODAY
